October 16, 2002 |
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NTT Com's E-Marketplace Goes Global |
| TOKYO, JAPAN –– NTT Communications Corporation (NTT Com) announced today that its Japan-based Internet marketplace “.com Co-Buy” has gone worldwide. It has been interconnected today with Optus E-Commerce Pty Ltd's e-marketplace (based in Australia). Users of both services are now able to take immediate advantage of a combined global base of both buyers and suppliers. .com Co-Buy, launched in July 2000, was Japan’s first online marketplace, bringing together buyers and sellers of maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) supplies via the Internet. Buyers could simplify product selection and ordering, and reduce related costs, while suppliers could increase access to buyers and reduce management costs. From today, buyers using .com Co-Buy can connect seamlessly with Optus’ e-marketplace, potentially managing procurement activities of an entire company internationally. Affiliates, subsidiaries and branches worldwide will be able to co-ordinate sourcing of products and services regardless of distance. Suppliers using .com Co-Buy can gain access to Optus e-marketplace customers in the USA, UK, Australia and elsewhere, and vice versa, expanding their marketing reach. Cable & Wireless will be the first major user to source on a global basis through the new joint e-marketplace starting from the end of October. The Cable & Wireless group has been doing most of its purchasing of both MRO materials and direct materials, such as routers, internationally via Optus’ e-marketplace, and will now move to online purchasing in Japan as well (see Attachment). Initially, 21 Japanese vendors will be included in the joint e-marketplace and will thus be able to deal direct with the Cable & Wireless group. The Optus and NTT Com partnership will ensure compatibility between languages, help find the most suitable vendors, create product catalogs and provide buyer and supplier support. NTT Com and Optus both based their services on technology developed by US-based Commerce One. Today’s interconnection is consistent with Commerce One’s Global Trading Web (GTW) concept of providing open, global e-commerce. Currently 30 e-marketplaces are following this concept in 18 countries, providing e-commerce service to 250,000 companies in at least 100 countries. Systems set up around the globe offer buyers connections with suppliers, including ordering, delivery and settlement capabilities. |
